Who's The Dragonlord Now?
by Said The Liar 13
Summary: Merlin and Kilgharrah find themselves at odds after a big fight one night. But when they don't appreciate what the other does for them, it'll take a little humility and a journey in each other's skin to repair the bond between Dragon and Dragonlord.
1. Be Careful What You Wish For

**Okay, so I'm back. First of all, I want to thank all of those who supported me when I was writing **_**Were-Wyvern.**_

**This story takes place sometime after season 4. This is a thought that came to mind a while back and I'm not sure if I want to continue with it or not. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy and leave a review to tell me what y'all think.**

**Disclaimer: IDOM...if so, then the big reveal would've already happened.**

_************Break*************_

**Chapter 1 - Be Careful What You Wish For...**

Night had already descended on the peaceful kingdom. All was silent as the blissful grace of sleep was bestowed upon every living creature in Camelot.

...Well, almost everyone.

_"Merlin..."_

A figure shifted on his bed in the tiny closet space he called his room. Groaning, the young warlock turned on his side, hoping above all hope that _that _wasn't who he thought it was.

_"Merlin..."_

He tried his stomach this time, shoving his head under his flat pillow pleading that it would muffle the annoying sound that reverberated in his mind.

_"Merlin!..."_

Obviously, it didn't.

_"MERLIN!"_

Tired red eyes snapped open as the young warlock jolted to a sitting position. Moaning loudly, he forced himself out of bed, put on suitable clothes, and made his way to the open field all the while mumbling "stupid dragon" and "this better be good".

_"I heard that!"_

Merlin didn't bother gracing that with a response. After sneaking through the city and trudging through the forest, he finally managed to reach his destination...only to find the dragon _not _there.

"Kilgharrah!" the young warlock yelled to the night air, not caring if anyone heard him. What was the point of waking him up if he wasn't going to be here?

_"Kilgharrah! Where the hell are you?"_

_"Be patient young warlock. I'm on my way"_

_"Be patient?! You're the one that called me, not the other way around...and this bloody early in the morning. You'd __**think**__ you would have the courtesy to be here on time"_

_"Don't take that tone with me Merlin. We all have our busy days once in a while"_

Merlin almost choked. _"__**Busy**__?! How can you be busy? You're free to do what you want all day!"_

_Thud_

"Don't presume you know what I do while you are away Merlin" the dragon said after landing heavily on the ground, also not caring if anyone heard.

"Like you have anything important to do" he mumbled.

"What was that?!"

"Nothing" The two stayed in silence for a while, trying to calm themselves before speaking to the other. "So" Merlin said first, "what was it that you needed to tell me?"

The Great Dragon snorted. "I came to warn you of an assassin sent to kill the King. His name is Slagan and he is highly skilled and well trained"

A moment of silence.

"Was that all!?" Kilgharrah eyed him for a moment before nodding his head in confirmation.

"_That_ was it? I dealt with him this morning!" Merlin screamed before muttering obscenities both in English and in the Dragon Tongue. The Great Dragon's eyes widened at the Dragonlord's choice words.

"So let me get this straight. You called me out in the middle of the night, just as I was falling asleep after a long day of serving his ungrateful Pratness, to tell me _this!_ You could've just told me while I was still in my room!"

"How was I supposed to know that you had already dealt with him? You never tell me anything"

"You could've asked"

"I was a little busy Merlin" Kilgharrah defended himself.

At that, the warlock spun around and yelled, "With what!"

"Hunting, watching over Aithusa, protecting Camelot from outside forces before they get to you, all the while staying unnoticed from others so news of me being still alive doesn't reach Camelot"

"Bang up job _you're_ doing"

Kilgharrah snorted smoke at Merlin, accidentally singeing the edge of his neckerchief. Merlin's eye brow twitched in annoyance ("that was my mother's scarf!" he mentally yelled). "Oh, forgive me for being inconsiderate of your _busy _schedule Kilgharrah. It's not like I have to save the Prat every single day, finish the chores he piles on me just for fun, _and_ complete the many tedious tasks Gaius has me doing. Sorry that babysitting and hunting take up so much of your _demanding_ life"

"Are you saying you have it harder than me?" Kilgharrah asked. "All you do is complain about the King and all the work he has you do. It's your job and duty Merlin and unlike you, I don't have to whine like a newborn hatchling about the hardships I face every single waking moment of my life"

"You humans have it easy!" he finished.

"Well, the same can be said about being a dragon!" the young warlock retorted.

Both dragon and Dragonlord glared at each other in the most epic staring contest every held. When it was clear that neither side would yield, they both simultaneously turned their backs on each other and left without saying a word. Just as Kilgharrah jumped into the air and Merlin walked briskly past the forest edge, one thought was raging through each of their heads.

_"I wish I could be a dragon"_

_"I wish I could be a human"_

_****************Break**************_

The morning sun shone brightly on the tired warlock, causing him to groan. Leave it to the physician to open the curtains to force his ward out of bed. "Gaius, another minute"

No answer came. _Strange..._

Eyes still closed, he yawned loudly before stretching his hands on the hard ground. _Wait?..._

The warlock's eyes shot open and sure enough all he saw was rock.

"How the heck did I get here?" Eyes glancing around, Merlin recognized the area as Kilgharrah's den, the same place the dragon brought him to after he was stung by the serkets several years ago.

Merlin brought himself up to a sitting position. His mouth dropped. _The view from way up here is astounding! I can see way past the mountains_, he thought to himself. Shaking the thoughts away, he asked "Hello? Kilgharrah, are you here?", but silence was the only response he received. Sighing, the warlock brought his hand to scratch the scales on his arm before...

"Ahhh!" he yelped. His hand! It was golden brown and decorated in scales - _dragon_ scales. He looked behind him to find a large tail, a powerful set of wings, and his legs were just the same. The warlock frantically looked around until he spotted a pool of water. Merlin tried rushing to it, but lost his footing many times. When he finally managed to drag himself to the water, he stared in disbelief at his reflection.

"But that's..."

A deafening roar rang through the barren mountain side.

_****************Break***************_

Kilgharrah moaned as the sun barely hit his face. He always loved the way the light warmed him to consciousness after a good night's sleep. And with the fight he and Merlin had that night, the Great Dragon was looking forward to it even more but for some reason, it was only a small streak.

Huffing, the dragon made to get up. It was then that he felt something soft against his skin. It was warm and the texture was unusual for a dragon's den. Thinking that this was some elaborate prank from the young hatchling (he had woken up before to his face being covered in honey and various vegetation), Kilgharrah stretched out his limbs and his neck before stretching his wings. That was when he first noticed.

The Great Dragon couldn't feel his wings!

Alarmed, he rose from the soft texture underneath and on top of him... and promptly fell on the wooden floor.

"What is this?" he asked and stretched out his claw to inspect it. However, instead of his usual scaled appendage, his eyes met a pale human hand.

"What's going on?!" he panicked.

Something squeaked behind him and whipping his head, the Great Dragon (he didn't feel that way anymore) met Gaius' sage-like gaze, his eyebrow quirked in amusement and concern.

"Merlin, what are you doing on the floor?"

_******************Break***************_

When Gaius first heard movement from his ward's room, he raised his eyebrow in confusion. Merlin was always getting up late and he rarely got up on his own, leaving the physician to be the man's personal 'alarm clock' most of the times. In all honesty, Gaius didn't mind. If he was up, then waking up his foster son wasn't a problem. Knowing all that the warlock did for Camelot day in and day out, the physician wasn't surprised - the man needed to rest.

What Merlin didn't do (or what he rarely did) was get up on time, _especially_ this early which was the case at the moment. A harsh thud was heard followed by a low mumble. It wasn't until a low voice yelled, "what's going on?" that the physician all but ran to the door.

When he entered Merlin's room, he found his ward staring at him in dismay from a kneeled position on the floor. Snorting in amusement, he stepped into the disarrayed room.

"Merlin, what are you doing on the floor?"

"...Gaius?"

The old man furrowed his eyebrows. "Merlin, is there something wrong with your voice? You sound sick. Are you coming down with a cold of some kind?"

"What did you just call me?"

"Um...Merlin?"

"...Physician, I require a reflective material of some kind. Do you have a mirror?"

"Yes... Merlin, what's going..."

"Physician, this is of the utmost importance! Bring me a mirror now!"

Distraught at his ward's unusual behavior, Gaius quickly left and grabbed the small, slightly broken mirror that was shoved underneath his books. When he returned, Merlin was still kneeling on the floor, struggling to get to his feet.

"Here you are Merlin" he said softly, holding out the mirror to his ward. Merlin didn't seem to notice, his focus solely on the floor as if willing it to obey him in some obscure sort-of-way (what command, Gaius didn't know).

"Uh...Merlin?"

"Ah Physician" Merlin said, head snapping to the man standing above him. Grabbing the mirror awkwardly in his hand, Merlin dropped it on the wooden floor and yelped in shock. "No, no no no no. This can_not_be happening to me. If the young warlock thinks this is some kind of joke, then he is sorely mistaken and Dragonlord or not, I'm..."

"Merlin, what's going on?"

Sighing, the young warlock dropped to the ground, limbs sprawled out in different directions, and sighed heavily again. "Gaius, I am sorry for the confusion. I do not know what is going on but...I'm not Merlin"

"What?"

"It seems that I am stuck in the young warlock's body and if my assumption is correct, then he is in mine"

"Then who am I talking to?"

"I'm not Merlin. I'm Kilgharrah"

_*************Break*************_

The rational part of Merlin was screaming at him to stay calm. However, that was proving to be futile for every time he told himself to remain calm, another scream-like roar would burst from his throat.

"What the heck's going on?!" he yelled to no-one in particular. "Okay, just stay...erm, shut up _Mer_lin" he said to himself while pacing back and forth in his new body, not caring that he sounded like Arthur at the moment. "I just have to think this through _very _carefully. There has to be a rational explanation for how I'm stuck ... in Kilgharrah's body, oh my gods!" he yelled before panicking again.

"Ah, Kilgharrah? What are you doing?" At the question, Merlin snapped his head to and fro to find the source of the voice. Hope sprang into his heart as he thought of the only living being that _that_ voice could possibly belong to. It wasn't until he looked down behind him that he saw the white dragon, concern and much amusement written on her scaled face.

"Aithusa, am I glad to see you!" Merlin exclaimed before swiftly turning around. The white dragon cocked her head in confusion before dangerously narrowing her eyes and baring her sharp teeth.

"You're not Kilgharrah. What have you done with him?" her voice hissed and squeaked at the same time.

"I don't know what happened to Kilgharrah...or what exactly happened to _us_, although I'm guessing he's probably in my body right about now" the warlock paused. "Don't you recognize me though?"

The white dragon squinted her blue eyes at the golden dragon before flying to look at him face-to-face. She sniffed her nose a couple times in his direction. Merlin was getting worried. It was true that he hadn't seen the dragon he hatched for a long while and it pained him to see that she couldn't even recognize him. Aithusa moved back to the ground and looked up at Merlin again, still trying to figure him out.

Merlin was on the verge of despairing when the white dragon, eyes widening in recognition, smiled and began jumping up and down.

"Father!"

The warlock smiled at the name given him by the hatchling. It didn't bother him at all; in fact, the dragon's logic was reasonable when he thought of it. After all, he _was _the one to name her and the first one she saw when she was born, therefore making him her only parent. _At least she didn't call me mommy, _he thought amusingly.

"Father! You've finally come!" Aithusa exclaimed once again before running straight to the dragon's hard chest and rubbing her head against it in what could be considered a dragon version of an embrace. Merlin, on his part, brought his neck down to nuzzle his face against the white dragon.

"I've missed you father. You never visit"

"I know and I'm sorry Aithusa"

"It's okay because now you're here. Instead of mister Grumpy-Scales" Merlin roared in joy at the fitting name for his kin. _Blackmail!_

"Speaking of, what happened to Kilgharrah? Where is he anyway?" the white dragon finished.

_"I'm here in Camelot young one"_

Before Merlin could answer, Aithusa's excited voice cut him off.

"Kilgharrah, father's home! Father's home!"

_***************Break***************_

Gaius' mouth almost dropped to the floor. Speechless, he looked at his ward, or Kilgharrah in reality, in shock. "You're Kilgharrah...as in the Great Dragon?"

Merlin's eyes rolled dramatically before looking up indignantly at the older man. "Yes Physician, I am indeed Kilgharrah"

Raising his eyebrow in a typical 'Gaius fashion', the old man stared down at the Great Dragon. Kilgharrah cocked his head in confusion for a time before forcing his now human hand out. "Physician?..."

Gaius raised his head higher deliberately.

"Physician..."

Then he folded his arms over his chest.

"Physi..."

And then he frowned disapprovingly and raised his eyebrow dramatically. _Oh..._

"_Gaius_" Kilgharrah finally corrected himself. Immediately, the old man let his arms fall to his side and his frown turned into a neutral grin. "Can you please assist me in standing? I have not yet found out how to work with two legs instead of four" he asked sheepishly. Gaius chuckled to himself before bending down to help the Great Dragon. Unfortunately, the physician only managed to help him get to his bed, but sitting was better than staying sprawled out on the floor.

"Merl-erm...I mean Kilgharrah, what happened?"

"I'm not sure myself. One minute, I was in my cave falling peacefully asleep and the next, I find myself in this poor excuse for a dwelling in the warlock's body" Kilgharrah said before stretching his shorter neck to examine his Dragonlord's living quarters. Clothes were strewn all over the place, making the room appear quite messy (it was in reality). "Does Merlin actually _live_ here?"

"Yes" the physician answered, annoyed at the dragon's disdain for his foster son's poverty. "Unlike some of us, we can't all have what we want". The dragon must have sensed Gaius' annoyance and was about to speak up, but the physician continued.

"Kilgharrah, we need to get in touch with Merlin. Do you know how?"

"...I have an idea" and closing his eyes, the dragon tapped into the warlock's magic, sensing it first hand for the first time. It was exhilarating! The rush of raw power, the boundless pools of magic that coursed through Merlin's veins. There was none like it. _And to think that he hasn't even scratched the surface yet!, _he mentally mused in awe. Kilgharrah shook his head to concentrate on his tasks. He was looking for a particular kind of magic that only Merlin possessed. It only took a couple minutes for Kilgharrah to find it, but when he did, he breathed out in awe at the wondrous power of the Dragonlord.

Latching onto it, he focused his mind and finally managed to connect it to Merlin's. At that moment, Kilgharrah could hear the warlock talking and then another voice popped out of no-where.

_"Where is Kilgharrah anyway?" _Aithusa's asked.

"I'm here in Camelot young one" he said both verbally and mentally, shocking Gaius temporarily before he understood that the dragon had managed to communicate with Merlin (he assumed).

_"Kilgharrah, father's home, father's home!"_

_******************Break********************_

**So yeah, that's the first chapter. I'll try updating this every week but I can't make any promises (unlike with **_**Were-Wyvern, **_**I had more than half of the chapters pre-written before I first posted). I've watched series 5, which is awesome by the way(I'm sad that it's ending), and even though I realize Aithusa is with Morgana, I didn't want her to have been captured / 'evil' for the story.**

**Originally, I was planning for this to be a one-shot but then I found myself writing more. I've outlined the story and it looks like this is going to be around 6 chapters all together but anything could happen (I do tend to go off on tangents when writing). Hopefully, it won't drag on.**

**But most importantly: if anyone has not seen the **_**Hobbit**_**, then you need to stop what you're doing, drive to your local theater and see it because that movie was AWESOME (I cosplayed as an elfen archer for the Midnight premiere)! I can't wait for the last two parts.**

**But seriously, go see it...and please review this story.**

**Until later,**

**-STL13**


	2. Meeting on Fair Ground

**Okay, first of all, the series finale was so sad. Granted, it was around three in the morning when I watched it online and sleep deprivation did play a good part, but that was depressing. I still enjoyed the series and was pretty happy with how it ended (with a few words of criticism that I won't get into because it would be too long), but it stayed true to the Arthurian legend for the ending. Nonetheless, I was depressed for a good day in a half after watching it but I'm over it now so finishing this chapter was much easier.**

**Poor Merlin...that's all I have to say.**

**Secondly, thank you Black Iron, ruby890, WishIwasthere, and Unknown for reviewing last chapter. You guys are great. :)**

**Disclaimer: IDOM**

* * *

**Chapter 2 - Meeting On Fair Ground**

The sun had already risen over Camelot and the servants were going about doing their appointed jobs. The stalls in the market place were opening up, ready to take on another busy day of profiteering. And it was on such a day that found the Court Physician guiding (what others assumed to be) his apprentice/foster son towards the stables, going unnoticed due to the morning hustle and bustle.

The stable master wasn't there to question them (Gaius thanked the gods) as the older man fetched Merlin's older horse. As he was doing this, Gaius silently reflected on his journey to the stables. The physician had to teach (in a matter of minutes) the Great Dragon how to walk in his new body, which proved to be a difficult task. Not only did he have trouble adjusting to two legs but his ward's natural clumsiness did nothing to ease his frustration. In conclusion, Gaius was pretty sure (and pleasantly surprised) that Kilgharrah _didn't_ reign down fire and brimstone upon him ...or the occasional stepping stones that caused him to frequently trip.

Right now, he had to focus on the next task at hand - getting Kilgharrah on a horse. After the Great Dragon communicated with Merlin (with all the 'don't take that tone with me, young warlocks' and 'it isn't my faults', it made for a very amusing conversation to listen to), it was agreed that both dragon and warlock would meet in the forest of Ascetir. Where? Well, that was a whole other issue that they were going to solve on the way there.

Once Gaius brought the horse out, he tied it closely to a stall and went to help Kilgharrah mount. The Great Dragon was looking at the beast in fascination and awe. He'd never seen one up this close before (aside from the few seconds he would glimpse at his dinner before scooping it up in his mouth). The horse, on his part, took a good look at his usual master and its eyes widen in terror. Whether or not it knew who it actually was, the horse knew it was _not _truly his master but someone - or _something_ - else. Every time Kilgharrah tried getting on, the horse would move around in the limited space given and rear up. It was when it almost kicked him in the face that broke the last straw. Growling, Kilgharrah furiously rambled some words in the dragon tongue, shutting the horse immediately up.

With a quirked eyebrow, Gaius finally managed to get the Great Dragon on to Merlin's horse, which now looked like a bag of bones rattling under fur.

"Kilgharrah, what did you...?"

Snorting in amusement, the Great Dragon eyed the physician and simply said, "I showed him his place..._andIthreatenedtoeathimwhenIr eturnedtomyactualform_".

"What was that?"

"I threatened to eat him when I returned to my actual form" he said blushing in embarrassment.

Not bothering to comment at the Great Dragon's quick temper, Gaius undid the knot and handed the reins to him.

"How are you going to find Merlin?"

"The young warlock and I are bound together through our bond as dragon and Dragonlord. We'll communicate as we draw closer together"

Gaius nodded in partial-understanding before another thought struck him.

"Won't Merlin have already arrived before you do? After all, a horse cannot hope to outride a dragon"

"True", Kilgharrah said smugly in a matter-of-fact tone, "but you're forgetting one thing". He paused to gather his thoughts, trying but failing to hide the ever-growing grin forming on his now human face. "If I, with your help, had trouble learning how to walk, imagine what the young warlock must be going through with only a hatchling at his side to teach him how to fly". And before Gaius could get a word in, Kilgharrah growled a command to the horse and made his way to the forest of Ascetir.

The physician shook his head amusingly before slowly making his way to his chambers. It was when he was opening the door that he realized he forgot one important fact.

...

...

"How the heck am I going to explain this to Arthur?"

* * *

"Meet me in the forest of Ascetir, he says. It'll be easy enough to get there, he says...Stupid, cryptic old dragon". Merlin was not having a good day. It was bad enough to find himself in the body of a dragon but now he had to meet said dragon at some _not _specific location...oh, and he had to fly there. _Great, can my life get any worse?_

"...And then, it swooped down _low_... and rose back into the sky! It was like a shooting star, which it probably was by the distance and...Grumpy Scales told me about them and how they're a _long _distance away...do you think you could reach one Father - ooh, that would be great and..."

_Yes, it can. _And, in reality, it did.

When it dawned on the white dragon that she would be able to spend time with Father, poor Merlin became the recipient of her unbound excitement. And right now, he was forced to passively listen as Aithusa went on and on and on about gods knew what.

_Now I see what Kilgharrah means_, Merlin thought to himself (though he would never admit it to Kilgharrah). It wasn't until five minutes into their walk outside their den that the young warlock had enough.

"Aithusa"

"And then I tossed some trees on his backside to make it look like he had feathers on his arse and..."

"Ai_thusa_"

"Oh, Grumpy Scales was _so_ upset when he woke up"

"Aithusa!"

"Yes Father?"

"How about we quiet down for a bit?"

"But being quiet is _boring!_...I know! We could..."

"You know what", Merlin had to think quickly, "h...how about you teach me how to fly"

The dragon's white face lit up in excitement. Oh how Merlin was going to regret asking that favor.

* * *

It was around midday when Kilgharrah felt it - the tingling presence of his Dragonlord. Muttering a few choice words to the already frightened horse, it swiftly changed directions and headed east until he came to the edge of the cliff.

"Where is that boy?" the Great Dragon angrily mumbled to himself. After letting out a frustrated sigh, he closed his eyes and focused on the young warlock's mind.

_"Merlin...where are you?"_

_..._

_..._

_"Argh, stupid rock!"_

_"Merlin, what is going on"_

_"Uh,...nothing Kilgharrah. We're almost there"_

_"We?"_

_"Hi Kilgharrah!"_

_"Aithusa?! What are you doing here and what's taking you both so long?"_

_"Father is having trouble flying. We're almost there"_

_"Well, where are you exactly?"_

"Right here!"

At this, the horse couldn't take the excitement and before Kilgharrah could threaten it further, it reared up causing the Great Dragon to not-so-gracefully fall to the ground and took off in the opposite direction. Apparently, one dragon was too much for it to handle.

After rubbing the soft texture of his hair on his head, Kilgharrah looked up to see an amusing sight.

Aithusa was sitting on top of Merlin's (or he should say _his_) head, just right in front of the horns, while the young warlock was...climbing the cliff side (Kilgharrah didn't bother wondering why the mountain side didn't give way to his weight).

Kilgharrah didn't know if he should feel offended or amused. In the end, he settled for the latter before clutching his side and laughing at his Dragonlord, who at this moment had finished hauling himself onto the edge and was laying on his stomach panting gray smoke from his lungs.

"I see you still haven't managed to fly young warlock"

Merlin turned to reprimand him but was too out of breath for his words to properly flow from his mouth. Taking a few seconds to let his lungs catch up, he glared at himself (he found it very weird to say the least) and said, "Yeah, I bet Gaius helped you get here to begin with"

"Err...no" Kilgharrah lied before slowly staggering to his feet. Catching himself before he fell, the Great Dragon continued. "Well, he _may _have helped me...um, _find_ the stables but I reached this destination without his help"

"So you rode my horse then?"

"Yes I did, another task I did totally on my own"

Merlin looked around before flashing a reptilian grin. "So where is he?"

Kilgharrah let his mouth drop as he looked around and remembered that his steed ran away at the sight of Merlin...er, himself.

"Stupid horse. Oh when I get my hands on him, I'll threaten to roast him _before_ I eat him this time" Kilgharrah meant to mumble that to himself. Unfortunately, Merlin's better hearing caught what the Great Dragon had said.

"Oh, I see. You _bullied_ him into riding you here without any trouble. Well, that explains _a lot!_"

"Merlin!"

"Kilgharrah!"

"Um, why are you two fighting?"

Both dragon and Dragonlord, who were about to verbally clash, both simultaneously turned their heads towards the white hatchling who looked both amused and bored.

"Don't you guys have something important to do?", Aithusa finished.

Kilgharrah, of course, was the first to recover. "The hatchling is right. We need to figure out a way to fix this Merlin"

"Right. Well, I guess we should start with the obvious question. How did we get into this predicament in the first place?"

"I honestly do not know. The last thing I remember before all of this happened was speaking to you last night. After that, I flew back to the den and went to sleep"

"That's exactly what happened to me last night. Although..." Merlin trailed off while turning his head away from Kilgharrah's gaze.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. Um, maybe the answer is in one of Gaius' books?"

"At this point, it's worth a look. I'll head back there and see if the physician and I can find the answer"

"Great. Then I'll just go back to the den and wait for you to..."

"Oh no Merlin. _You_ have to keep an eye out on the border. There could be more sorcerers trying to get in"

"But how am I going to do that? As much as it pains me to say it, I can't fly" Merlin complained before unnaturally shifting his wings.

"There's a mountain whose caves overlook different parts of the border that the sorcerers travel from. You could go there if you want. Or, Aithusa can try to te..."

"NO!"

At this, the white dragon, who after the first sentence of their _long _conversation went off to the edge of the trees and began chasing the animals for a quick lunch, turned her head at the mention of her name.

"What?..."

"Nothing nothing. Go back to hunting for lunch young one" Merlin hastily said before the Great Dragon could interject.

"Okay Father" she said before turning around and continuing on her business.

Kilgharrah eyed his kin who let out a deep breath.

"Don't _ever_ suggest Aithusa teaching me how to fly again"

"What happened?" Kilgharrah inquired, not bothering to hide the wide grin forming on his face.

"Let's just say, she can be very..._enthusiastic_ when it comes to doing just about anything"

"Merlin. She's just a hatchling. I thought you said that babysitting a hatchling all day long was easy" he teased. The young warlock quickly shook his head in annoyance.

"It's not difficult _nor_ was I complaining. I just...er, wanted to warn you in case this issue comes up again"

"Sure Merlin. Sure"

"Besides, there's no way you'll be able to last in my shoes in Camelot"

"Oh, I think I can manage much better than you at the very least"

"I'll like to see you try" Merlin retorted.

"Trust me, it will be effortless young warlock"

Without saying another word to each other, Merlin called Aithusa before both dragon and Dragonlord left in opposite directions.

Merlin sighed in distress at realizing that he had to find his way _down _the mountain side. _At least it's not too steep_, he thought to himself. A possible solution came to mind but just as he was debating whether or not to actually do it, Aithusa must have thought of the same thing too. Before he knew it, Merlin felt something small collide with his back, causing him to slip off the side. Aithusa latched on to his wings as both dragons slid down the mountain side (Merlin screaming - though he would never admit it - all the way down).

Kilgharrah, on his part, began limp-walking to the forest. He chuckled to himself as he saw Aithusa sneak up on the unsuspecting Dragonlord and push him off the cliff. _Oh well, he'll live, _the Great Dragon thought to himself as he heard, for the first time, the young warlock scream. Just as he was feeling proud of himself, Kilgharrah looked around in dismay before realizing that he still didn't have a horse.

"It's going to be a _long _walk to Camelot. Now, where is that blasted horse?..."

"...and which way is Camelot again?"

* * *

It was way past noon in Camelot. Everything was going perfectly for the blond royal except for one thing...or person, in this case.

_Merlin._

Angrily, he rose from his desk. The lazy idiot of a manservant hadn't bothered showing up. He could have had the decency to be available for the King to yell at him, but _no!_ He had to flat out disappear (nor was he buying Gaius' 'out picking herbs' excuse). No, the physician was covering for him.

"When you're done dragging yourself out of whatever tavern you're getting drunk in, there will be hell to pay Merlin"

...

...

_"Mark my words"_

* * *

**I forgot to mention this above so I'll do it now. Merry (late) Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone!**

**Please review. I hope that, despite the series ending, people will continue to write awesome Merlin stories for a long while.**

**Until later,**

**-STL13**


	3. The Everyday Struggles of Your Kin

**Hi there everyone. So yeah…the only good excuse I can possibly come up with for making y'all wait so long is college transfer crap. The other excuses are ….well, let's just say they're not good.**

**Whoever is still reading this, thank you. I had most of this written a while ago but stuff happened (cough…laziness…cough). Sorry for making you wait and here is the next chapter (it's extra-long for your amusement).**

**Thank you: Revenge of the Red Pen, TerraPrime, and keacdragon for reviewing last chapter.**

**Disclaimer: IDOM**

* * *

**Chapter 3 - The Everyday Struggles of Your Kin**

To say it was a long trip back to Camelot was an understatement. It took him most of the evening to find Merlin's horse, but when he did, anger became the next prominent emotion. Barely able to tolerate his imposter-master, the horse led Kilgharrah (in utter terror) back to Camelot. By the time he arrived at the stables of the white city, evening was swiftly approaching. Slowly (for his walking skills still needed work), the Great Dragon was about to make his way to the Court Physician's chambers when...

"Merlin!" a cheerful voice sounded from behind him, causing Kilgharrah to visibly jump. A rugged looking knight with dark, smooth, shoulder length hair came rushing to him, a bottle of _something_ in his left hand.

"Ah...good evening Sir Knight"

The knight cocked his head in confusion before his face lit up. "Good one Merlin. The princess _does _hate it when you address him properly. Can't..._hic_...fool me"

Kilgharrah panicked. Who was this strange yet familiar knight? Obviously he knew Merlin but what was his name? The Great Dragon tried recalling one of the many conversations he had with the young warlock about the Knights of the Round Table - well, at least the ones he considered friends - but nothing came to mind. His magic, however, hummed louder and louder as the knight continued rambling on about mead and someone he called '_princess'_.

"...Now, I don't know where you've been all day but I think it's time you and your best buddy, Sir Gwaine the Awe-Inspiring and Ever-So-Handsome, spend some quality time in the tavern together. Come on, another hour or two more of tardiness won't hurt the princess. He's still fuming at you skipping out this morning by the way, but his highness will get over himself. Now then, how 'bout..."

It took a moment for it to click in Kilgharrah's head but when it did, his mouth dropped considerably. "Strength..." he whispered, apparently not low enough for Gwaine _not _to hear.

"Yes, I know. I _am_ the strongest...Percival doesn't count. That man's not human in his own right" he quickly mumbled that last part out.

"Sir Gwaine?" the Great Dragon asked, partly disturbed that such an essential person in Arthur's destiny was getting himself drunk, and partly appreciative that in his given state, he hopefully wouldn't remember this conversation and start asking questions.

"The one and only" Gwaine answered with a mock bow before taking another swig from his bottle, the foaming substance spilling all over his beard and even on his chest. Seeing the strange, disapproving look on Merlin's face, the drunken knight held out his bottle towards the warlock. "My apologies my friend. Did you..._hic_... want some as well?"

Kilgharrah took one sniff of the bottle and violently turned his head away in disgust as the horrid smell burned his nostrils with fire. "_No_ thank you"

"Suit yourself" the knight said before attempting to take another gulp. Annoyed and tired, Kilgharrah felt his eyes flash gold of their own accord and before he knew it, Sir Gwaine dropped on the hay-filled floor, unconscious and snoring loudly.

The Great Dragon jumped in surprise at the easy use of his magic. He hadn't even thought of using it but it still responded to his emotions. Panicking at the scene of a knight sprawled out on the stable floor with a servant looming over him, Kilgharrah tried pulling Gwaine up, but his limp body would not budge. Then, he roughly dropped to the floor and tried picking the knight up. That didn't work either. Frustrated, the warlock's magic slipped out again, sending Gwaine flying into the ceiling.

"Oww..." the knight groaned and was about to open his eyes when he suddenly felt himself crash back to the ground and blacked out again. All the while, Kilgharrah stood in shock before frantically looking around to see if he was caught. Seeing no-one around, he sighed in relief.

_Okay, deep breaths. Just lift him slightly and let him fall over your shoulders, _Kilgharrah told himself.

Slowly, the Great Dragon closed his eyes and released a sliver of magic, praying that it would do his bidding. He felt the rush of power and his eyes flashed gold behind closed lids before he dared to sneak a peek. When he did, he saw Gwaine (still unconscious) hovering slightly over the ground and standing in an upright position. He quickly made his way under the knight's arm to support him before releasing the magic holding him up.

Bad mistake.

Suddenly, Kilgharrah found himself pinned on the floor with a snoring knight unceremoniously draped over the top part of his back. He managed to huff a breath of cold air from his strained lungs.

"This could take a while"

* * *

It indeed took quite some time for the Great Dragon to get Gwaine off of him, let alone carry him to...gods, he hadn't a clue as to where to haul his snoring hide. After much thought, Kilgharrah settled for the only place he vaguely remembered - Gaius's chambers. Slowly, but surely, he made his way there.

The Great Dragon was pleasantly surprised. As hard as he tried, he couldn't avoid avoiding people but everyone who saw him carrying Gwaine gave him a knowing look before continuing on with what they were doing - like this was a normal thing for Merlin to do. Shaking that feel away, Kilgharrah finally made it to the physician's chambers, ignoring the _voices_ he heard coming from the room.

"Gaius, I am back" he announced as he opened the door. Gaius was standing by his table, his body already turned in Kilgharrah direction. His face stared in alarm, which the Great Dragon figured was directed at him dragging Gwaine on his shoulders.

"Gaius, I'm sorry but I think Sir Gwaine is drunk. I had to help him get up here seeing as he's been at the tavern all day and cannot properly hold himself up. How I managed to do _this_ in my current state is beyond me" he said, referring to him being able to carry Gwaine in Merlin's body.

"Merlin..."

"I know, I have a problem" he said dejectedly "but that's not important at the moment"

"Merlin..." Gaius said with more urgency, trying to get the dragon to stop talking.

"Do you know what Gwaine means when he says 'princess'? He told me _he_ was very annoyed with me for 'skipping out this morning'". At this, Gaius massaged his temple while shaking his head. Kilgharrah gave the physician confused look until a low voice suddenly cut in.

"And he still is"

Spinning around, Kilgharrah was met with the sight of the Once and Future King who, at this moment, looked more like the Once and Future 'Where-the-hell-have-you-been-I'm-going-to-kill-yo u' King. At a loss for words, Kilgharrah was only able to make his mouth gap like a fish before Arthur deemed it fitting to spare him the embarrassment (and head straight for the kill).

"So that's where you've been all this time."

* * *

_If Merlin's mouth drops any lower, he'll be able to catch flies, _Arthur thought smugly. _Serves him right._

"Sire, I..."

"Don't 'Sire' me _Mer_lin", Arthur said. "And here I _almost _believed, for once, that you were actually being a responsible man and out picking herbs for Gaius. Instead, you've been out drinking"

"Sire..." but a held-out hand stopped Kilgharrah from continuing.

"You can't fool me Merlin, I can smell the alcohol reeking from the _both _of you". At this, Kilgharrah unceremoniously dropped Gwaine on the hard floor. The drunk knight didn't even show signs of waking up but opted to snore even louder as he lay sprawled on the ground.

"Arthur" Kilgharrah tried, "I really wasn't at the tavern"

"Really then? So, if you _were_ picking herbs, where are they? Why does your voice sound harsh and worn out?"

"I..."

"Oh, I know! You _ate _them. That must be it" Arthur interrupted, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"But..."

"Did the herbs do _that _to you?"

Kilgharrah sighed. He obviously wasn't going to win this ridiculous argument with the King. "Forgive me Si-Arthur. It won't happen again"

Looking at his manservant, Arthur grabbed him by the collar and brought him so both men were looking at each other face to face. "See that it doesn't"

Releasing his hold, the King turned around and made his way to the door. Just as he was about to leave, Arthur turned back and gave one last warning, "Merlin, I expect to see you bright and early tomorrow for the hunting trip I spoke to you about. Make sure the horses and supplies are ready, we leave at first light. Oh, and have _all _my chores done by the time I see you or someone will be reacquainting themselves with the stocks...again". And with that, he left.

Kilgharrah let out a long held-in sigh before collapsing hard to the ground. "You could've warned me about the King!" he yelled at Gaius. "Now he thinks I been doing nothing all day...aside from drinking"

Gaius smiled, an amused grin gracing his aged face. "Well, that's nothing new"

"Excuse me?"

"Arthur always believes that Merlin is constantly slacking on his chores and/or is out at the tavern. As much as it annoys him and is _not_ true, it has become an excuse that the King believes"

"_What!_ But Merlin, he would never..."

"I know", Gaius said with his hand out, "but it's something Merlin has gotten used to. It's part of his job as both Emrys, the all-powerful warlock and protector of Camelot, and Merlin, manservant to the king."

Kilgharrah mused on this thought. His Dragonlord really did have a lot on his plate. How he managed to juggle all of it..._No, Merlin has it hard just like the rest of us!, _the stubborn dragon thought as he shook his head. _And I'm going to prove it._

Gaius was about to question what was going on in the Great Dragon's mind when Kilgharrah's eyes snapped open. "Well, we have more important matters to attend to Physician" he announced before heading to the vast bookshelf Gaius kept below the staircase.

"But what about your chores...and Gwaine. We can't just..."

"I'll take care of that later. We have some research to do"

* * *

The road was fraught with many obstacles but eventually Merlin and Aithusa reached the mountain. Granted, it was a long afternoon filled with the incessant blabber of the white hatchling, but Merlin learned how to passively listen (or in other words, ignore) his young companion.

After Aithusa pushed him off the cliff (and his heart returned to its normal palpitation), Merlin had scolded the young dragon. Wanting and trying to make-up for the offense (after all, daddy's girl didn't want to upset Father), Aithusa offered to teach him how to fly again. Merlin immediately protested the idea, but the quivering of the reptilian's lip added to the sad look made for a deadly foe, one that the young warlock could never hope to defeat.

So with a sigh, Merlin let Aithusa try to teach him again. With less physical help and more verbal instruction, the journey/training was more promising and bearable. He even managed to hover in the air for a bit before shamelessly crashing to the ground.

"I think that's enough flight training for one day. We still have a long way to go Aithusa", Merlin said to which the white dragon looked dejectedly to the ground. Seeing this, the warlock quickly added, "But thank you for the help" before another tear and quivering lip could strike him another blow.

Aithusa smiled at Merlin before her mouth opened wide for a draconic yawn, her sharp canines glistened under the setting sun. Seeing the sleepy dragon, Merlin lowered his head to address the white hatchling.

"Are you tired Aithusa?"

"No...I'm not" Aithusa said through a yawn, eyes drooping and her head nodding while they walked.

"Sure" Merlin answered sarcastically. Pressing his head to the ground, thus blocking the white dragon from continuing with his neck, the warlock gave her a knowing look. "Aithusa", he said warningly.

"But..." she began but another stern look from Father had the hatchling sighing in defeat before climbing up the dragon and resting on the warlock's scaled back. "Now, isn't that better?" he asked. Not getting a reply, he checked on his kin before releasing a toothy grin. Aithusa was fast asleep.

More importantly, he could finally have some peace and quiet.

And so the trip to the mountain was walked in silence, the warlock's thoughts drifting to Camelot, wondering how both Arthur and Kilgharrah were managing by themselves. Merlin _really_ wanted to know how the Great Dragon was dealing with his royal Pratness. _By now, he's probably threatened me with the stocks, _the warlock thought smugly.

An hour passed before they reached the caves. The sun had already set and Aithusa was still fast asleep. At this point, Merlin was also tired. Not being able to fly made for a long walk and so, once they were within the safety of the cave, Merlin plopped on the hard ground, waking up Aithusa in the process.

"What's going on?" she slurred.

"We're here. And now we're going to sleep". Closing his eyes, the warlock fell into a blissful slumber...

...That lasted about two minutes before Aithusa began waking him up by shaking his head.

"Father"

"Umm..."

"Father"

"What?"

"I'm hungry". Merlin groaned at the fact that he completely forgot about food for Aithusa.

"What does Kilgharrah usually get you?"

"Nothing. He's been teaching me how to hunt"

"And?..."

"I've managed to catch a squirrel once"

"Can you not do it again?"

"...I guess, although...I was hoping you would help me"

At this, Merlin groaned. He hated hunting. It was bad enough he was horrible at it as a human - there was no doubt that he wouldn't do any better as a dragon. But Aithusa _did _need to eat...and so did he. The warlock realized he hadn't since yesterday.

"Okay, I'll help you"

So Merlin and Aithusa headed out, the Dragonlord dragging himself out of the cave and the white dragon bouncing around in excitement.

"This is going to be fun!"

* * *

After an hour of what Merlin did _not _consider fun, Aithusa had finally managed to catch herself a unsuspecting rabbit. The young dragon was elated at the improvement and while she jumped for joy, the Dragonlord's stomach rumbled loudly. He tried to catch diner for himself, but in the end he only managed to scare Aithusa's potential dinner away. Mouth watering at the rabbit but not wanting to take the white dragon's food, Merlin settled for the next best thing.

Vegetables...or the shrubbery, in this case.

Not surprisingly, the tree branch he had did _not _taste like broccoli but at this point, Merlin wasn't left with many options.

The moon was full in the night sky by the time they returned to the cave. Merlin dropped on the floor, thankful for the day to finally end. Just as he was about to doze off...

"Father"

"Yes"

"Can you play with me?"

"Play tomorrow. Sleep now"

"...But I'm not tired"

A loud noise echoed throughout the caves, the source coming from outside and cutting Merlin off from replying.

"What's that?" Aithusa asked, cocking her head to the side before looking up at Merlin.

"I don't know" Merlin answered, the noise too loud for him to even think about falling asleep. Listening carefully, it sounded like cheering from a rally of some kind.

"Let's see what it is but you must stay close Aithusa"

Both dragons ventured towards the noise until they saw a crowd of hooded figures. One person was standing on a rock, making himself rise above the rest, clearly edging the others on. Merlin and Aithusa listened carefully.

"We will have our revenge" the leader said with a fist held high in the air. The crowd responded with another loud cry.

"Arthur's manservant will rue the day he dare betray his kind and foil my plans yet again"

Any thoughts of sleep immediately vanished at those words. Golden eyes widening, Merlin observed the leader (he presumed) carefully before realizing that the man was Slagan. His features and his voice, even when shrouded under the cover of night, were unmistakable. _So this is Slagan and his men, _he thought to himself. Aithusa looked up at Merlin curiously.

"Father, aren't you the King's manservant?"

Merlin only responded with a nod, more focused on listening to their plans. Slagan monologued for a little while longer, claiming how the Pendragons wronged him and how they would pay and..._yada yada yada, _Merlin finished in his head. _Man, could there be an evil sorcerer whose reason for attacking wasn't based on some sort of revenge._ Apparently not. The warlock only began listening again when his name, followed by a few obscenities and death threats, was heard.

"We'll attack Camelot will all our strength, but first we need to deal with that traitor" Slagan announced, spitting out the word 'traitor' with such vehemence. Hearing enough, Aithusa rushed to the group, fully intent on making those men pay for speaking about Father in such a way.

"Aithusa, get back here", Merlin hissed but the white dragon ignored him. Groaning, the Dragonlord went after her; not catching her in time, Aithusa jumped on Slagan, claws digging into his unsuspecting shoulder. Yelling in pain, the poor sod tried shaking the white dragon of but she just latched on tighter at the resistance and began biting on his hood. His comrades tried helping but no-one could get a grip on the beast riding the man.

It wasn't until a nameless hooded figure used magic to throw a log at Aithusa that she stumbled to the ground. The men quickly surrounded her, leaving only an arms-length between them and the hatchling. She snapped her jaws at anyone who got too close but eventually they managed to back her into a corner.

"Well well, a dragon. And here I thought the Pendragon had killed the last one" Slagan announced smugly.

"Yeah, although Emrys is a Dragonlord, he still let the King kill it for attacking the city….that _traitor" _a hooded figure blurted out, causing the others to mumbled agreements to his last statement.

"_Perfect. _Take it alive. Maybe we can use it to attack Camelot"

_Over my dead body!, _Merlin yelled to himself.

Just as the leader was about to grab Aithusa, Merlin's bulking form barged into the group, roaring in anger and standing protectively over his kin. All eyes widened in terror at the presence of the supposedly-dead Great Dragon. Correction: the supposedly-dead-_and-now-pissed-off_ Great Dragon. Before anyone could utter a word, Merlin swung his tail at the renegade sorcerers, knocking many of them to the ground. Those who managed to dodge the blow were quickly met with a back-handed claw.

While the one-sided fighting was going on, Slagan used the distraction his comrades were unwantedly giving him and went after Aithusa who sat back and watched in amazement at her Father's powerful rage. He grabbed her at the base of her neck and skull, being careful to avoid her snapping jaws and thrashing talons. Before she could cry out, Slagan clamped her mouth shut with the hand holding her head.

That proved to be his worse mistake of the night.

Just as Slagan turned around to make a quick escape, he came face-to-face with the Great Dragon's snout, eyes glowing dangerously at him with righteous furry.

"Put…her…_down"_ Merlin dangerously commanded, seething at the way he handled Aithusa. Body fully trembling, the leader, ever so gently, put the white dragon down to which she quickly scampered to the safety of the Great Dragon's hind legs. Thinking he was in the clear, Slagan began backing up slowly to get away in one un-maimed piece.

Merlin, however, wasn't going to let him get away _that _easy.

Grabbing the leader's hood in his powerful jaws, Merlin picked him up and dangled him in front of his face so Slagan was forced to gaze hauntingly into his golden orbs that were his eyes. Not wasting another moment, he gave a low growl and tossed the leader across the field, causing his head to smash against one of the boulders and render him unconscious. Snorting a puff of smoke at the unconscious sorcerers for a job well done, Merlin looked down at the hatchling.

"Let's go Aithusa"

With adoration in her eyes, Aithusa followed Merlin back to the cave. After promptly collapsing on the ground, Merlin immediately went to sleep while Aithusa snuggled right next to him.

"Good night Father"

"Good night Aithusa"

* * *

The sorcerers all woke up sporting terrible headaches. Slagan stood up, anger flashing in his eyes.

"Those dragons will pay. _Emrys_ will pay…"

"…and I know just how"

* * *

**I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. I have most of the next chapter written but I probably will not post it until I have most of the story finished. Now before you complain and groan at your laptop/computer (and possibly make false-death/mob threats at me) remember that this story is supposed to be six chapters long, so we're halfway there.**

**Please leave a review. Even if it's one word or a criticism, I welcome all of them with open arms (just no flaming please). :)**

**Until later,**

**-STL13**


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